WHO WE ARE

OPA embodies the diversity of Oregon.

We are young and old. Teachers and students. Nationally-known, award-winning poets with many books and poets new to writing. Although most of us live in Oregon, not all of us do. Those who do are in major cities and large ranches, small towns and coastal villages, expanding suburbs and rural counties, farms large and small, and places easy to get to and places hard to find.

OPA members are involved in poetry in many ways. You can find us in both print and literary journals. Our books are available on Amazon and through university presses, independent publishers, and small presses. We participate in community arts events, poetry readings, school functions, workshops, critique groups, and regional units. We are editors and publishers, contest coordinators and contest winners, manuscript judges and small press owners. Many of us have web sites, and you can read more of our work on our individual sites.

OPA poets collaborate with musicians, visual artists, textile artists, and writers of other genres. Many of us create art other than poetry; members are knitters, sculptors, quilters, mixed media artists, photographers, crafters, painters, and potters.

We are white-, blue-, pink-, and no-collar workers. We are retired and too young to have started working. We are raising families and focusing on school. We are constantly moving about and we are never far from our birthplaces. We are volunteers. We are pinching pennies to get by. We are changing jobs mid-life. We are still deciding what we want to be when we grow up. We have never had to worry about money. We are doing okay.

Our poems are about everything in and beyond Oregon’s borders. If someone can write a poem about it, at least one of us has.

Mostly, we learn from one another. We share. We encourage. We inspire. We want the best for each other. We come together in small groups and as a whole organization to teach, learn, encourage, and inspire, and also for no other reason than to be surrounded by like-minded people who have a passion for poetry. We get together to laugh with old friends, make new friends, and help each other, as friends do.

Upcoming Poetry Events

Hudson Schweikert has lived in a number of places but most of his life has been rural. Schweikert went from the backwoods of the deep south to sitting on a houseboat with Alan Watts. It’s been a great life but … Continue reading →

A third generation Van Dreal artist, John began creative endeavors such as painting and writing at age 7. He earned his formal education in fine art and educational psychology, maintaining careers in both fields while writing in his spare time. … Continue reading →

The Oregon Poetry Association does not discriminate against individuals or groups on the grounds of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation in any educational programs, activities or employment.